SYRIA – A mass shooting in Syria’s Homs province on Saturday night inside a café in Umm Hartin village left 2 people dead and several others injured according to an Interior Ministry statement.

The gunmen entered the facility and began shooting at people inside, killing two before fleeing, the ministry added in a statement.

It said specialized units “immediately took the necessary measures to cordon off the site, investigate the circumstances, apprehend the perpetrators, and bring them to justice.”

The ministry said additional steps were being taken to protect civilians and ensure public safety.

It condemned the shooting attack and reiterated rejection of “all forms of violence that threaten the security and stability of society.”

A security source earlier told state TV channel al-Ikhbariya that a gunman opened fire at a sports hall in the village, killing two people before fleeing the site.

The attack comes as Syria’s new administration attempts to tighten security across the country following the ouster of Bashar al-Assad last December after 24 years in power.

Assad fled to Russia, marking the end of the Ba’ath Party’s rule since 1963. A transitional administration headed by President Ahmad Al-Sharaa took office in January.